Spring-axle for cycles.



O. R. MERSHON- & W. E. REDNER.

SPRING AXLE FOR CYCLES.

APPLICATION FILED P111112, 1912.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

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c. R. MERSHON & W; E. REDNER.

SPRING AXLE FOR CYCLES.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.12, 1912. 1,042, 1 36 Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

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H v X UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE R. MERSHON AND WEBSTER E. REDNER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

SPRING-AXLE FOR CYCLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22,1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLAUDE R. MER- SHON and WVEBSTER E. REDNER, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Axles for Cycles, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in spring axles for cycles.

The object of our invention is to provide a structure in which jolting due to rough roads will be largely eliminated.

Our invention provides further a novel construction which will permit the ready removal or insertion of either wheel of the machine.

WVhile our invention is particularly adapted for use in a motor cycle, it may also be applied to an ordinary bicycle.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred form of our invention, Figure l is a side elevation of a machine provided with our improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, enlarged, on the line a-b of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a vertical section, enlarged, on the line 0d of F i 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 5 is a section, enlarged, on the line ef of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a section, enlarged, on the line gh of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a cross section, enlarged, on the line j of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is an elevation of a portion of what is shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a cross section, on the line ]cZ of Fig. 5, enlarged.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the different views.

1 designates the body of the frame of the machine. The frame is provided at its forward end with a pivoted forked portion having arms disposed at opposite sides of the forward wheel 2. The rear end of the frame is provided with a forked portion having arms disposed at opposite sides of the rear wheel 3. Each arm of the rear forked portion is provided with two vertical parallel tubular portions 4 and 5, the upper ends of which are connected by a bridge portion 6. The parts 4 and 5 are also connected below the bridge portion 6 by a horizontal bridge portion 7. The lower ends of the portions 4 and 5 are externally screw threaded and have mounted on them respectively threaded caps 8, the lower end of each of which has a vertical slot in which is mounted one end of a cross bar 9, which is held in place by pins 10 mounted in transverse holes in the slotted parts of the caps 8.

Adjacent sides of the tubular portions 4 and 5 are provided with longitudinal slots 11 in which are slidably mounted opposite ends of a bearing member 12 which is adapted to support one end of the rear axle 13. The member 12, as shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a slot 14, which extends upwardly from the lower edge of the member 12, and then laterally, for the purpose of receiving the adjacent end of the rear axle 13. To keep the member 12 from cramping, it is provided at opposite ends with recesses 15 in which are rotatively mounted friction rollers 16 which are adapted to bear against the adjacent tubular portions 4 and 5 at opposite sides of the slots 14.

In the tubular portions 4 and 5, above the member 12, are respectively located coil springs 17, the lower ends of which are supported upon the member 12, and the upper ends of which support the frame. In the portions 4 and 5, below the member 12, are coil springs 18 the lower ends of which are supported by the caps 8, and the upper ends of which bear against the lower edge of the member 12, so as to oppose the action of the springs 17.

Two dash pots 19 are respectively supported by the two arms of the rear forked portion of the frame. Each of said dash pots comprises a hollow cylinder which extends through a vertical hole in the bridge 6 and has its lower open end externally screw threaded and fitted in a threaded vertical hole in the bridge 7. The upper end of the dash pot is closed and is provided with an ordinary vent cock 20, by which passage of air into and out of the compression end of the dash pot may be controlled. Slidably fitted in the two dash pots 19 respectively are two plungers 21, the lower ends of which are respectively secured to the rear aXle bearing members 12. As the rear part of the frame 1 moves downwardly, the springs 17 will be compressed, the downward movement, however, of the frame being resisted by the air being compressed in the dash pots 19, which also resist sudden movement in the opposite direction, being in this assisted by the recoil springs 18.

The arms of the front fork are constructed similarly to the arms of the rear forked portion, which has just been described. Each arm of the front fork comprises two tubular parallel portions 22 and 23 connected by transverse bridge portions 24, 25 and 26, the latter being provided with a vertical screw threaded hole in which is fitted the threaded lower open end of a dash pot 27, having its closed upper end provided with a vent cook 28. In the two dash pots 27 are slidably fitted respectively two plungers 29, the lower ends of which are respectively secured to two axle bearing members 30, which are provided each with a transverse hole 31 adapted to receive therethrough the front axle 32. Each axle bearing member 30 has its ends extending through and slidably mounted in two longitudinal slots in the adjacentsides of the tubular portions 22 and 23, said slots being designated by Located respectively in the tubular portions 22 and 23 are two coil springs 31 the upper ends of which support the tubular portions 22 and 23, and the lower ends of which are mounted upon the upper edge of the adjacent member 30.

Located in the tubular portions 22 and 23, below the member 30, are two coil springs 35, the lower ends of which are supported upon caps 36, similar to the caps 8 already described, and which are fitted to the screw threaded lower ends of the tubular portions 22 and 23. The upper ends of the springs bear against the lower edge of the member 30, so as to oppose the action of the springs 3st. The lower ends of the caps 36 are slotted and have fitted in them the ends of two cross bars 37, which are detachably secured to the caps by transverse pins 38, in a manner similar to the manner in which the cross bars 9 are secured to the caps S.

The ends of each member 30 are provided with recesses 39 in which are respectively rotatively mounted friction rollers 40, which are adapted to bear against the slotted sides of the tubular portions 22 and 23, to prevent the members 30 cramping when they move relatively to said tubular portions.

hen the forward part of the frame moves vertically, relatively to the members 80, the springs 34: and 35 are alternately compressed, the movement of the frame being checked as to speed by the plungers 29 operating in the dash pots 27.

By regulating the vent cocks 20 and 28, the mechanism may be adjusted for use by persons of different weight.

The employment of the dash pots 19 and 27 in connection with the springs 17 and 1S and Set and 35 increases the life of each spring, and prevents any jolting being felt by the rider of the machine.

The friction rollers carried by the axle bearing members 12 and 30 prevent said members sticking or cramping in the guides in which they are slidably mounted.

By removing the pins 10, the cross bars 9 may be quickly removed so as to permit the rear axle 13 being removed, without having to detach the mud guard, not shown, with which the machine is usually provided. This may be done owing to the fact that the slot 1% terminates at the lower edge of the member 12. By removing the caps 8, the members 12, plunger-s 21, springs 17 and springs 18 may all be removed. In like manner, by detaching the cross bars 37 and removing the caps 36, the members 30, plungers 29, and springs 34: and 2-35 may be quickly removed.

e do not limit our invention to the mechanism shown and described, as modifications of various kinds, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention,what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cycle frame having guides, a dash pot carried thereby, an axle bearing member reciprocative in said guides, a spring supporting the frame and supported by the axle bearing member, and a plunger secured to the axle bearing member and slidably fitted in said dash pot.

2. A cycle frame having guides, a dash pot carried thereby and having an adjustable vent, an axle bearing member reciproeative in said guides, a spring supporting the frame and supported by the axle bearing member, and a plunger secured to the axle bearing member and slidably fitted in said dash pot.

8. A cycle frame having guides, an axle bearing member reciprocative in said guides, a spring supporting the frame and supported by the axle bearing member, and adjustable means for yieldingly resisting the movement in either direction of the axle bearing member in said guides.

4. A cycle frame having guides, an axle bearing member reciprocative in said guides, a dash pot carried by the frame, a spring supporting the f 'ame and supported by the axle bearing member, a plunger secured to the axle bearing member and slidably fitted in the dash pot, and a spring supported by the frame and bearing against the axle bearing member in opposition to the first named spring.

5. A cycle frame having guides, an axle bearing member reciprocative in said guides, a dash pot, carried by the frame and having an adjustable vent, a plunger secured to the axle bearing member and slidably fitted in the dash pot, a spring supporting the frame and supported by the axle bearing member, and a spring supported by the frame and bearing against the axle bearing member in opposition to the first named spring.

6. A cycle frame having a forked portion comprising two parallel arms, two axle bearing members, springs respectively supporting said two arms and respectively supported by said axle bearing members, two dash pots respectively carried by said two arms, and two plungers respectively secured to said two axle bearing members and respectively slidably mounted in said dash pots.

7. A cycle frame having a forked portion having two parallel arms, two axle bearing members, springs respectively supporting said two arms and respectively supported by said two axle bearing members, two dash pots respectively carried by said two arms and having each an adjustable vent, and two plungers respectively secured to said two axle bearing members and respectively slidably fitted in said two dash pots.

8. A cycle frame having two parallel tubular portions provided on adjacent sides with longitudinal slots, a dash pot carried by the frame, an axle bearing member extending into said tubular portions through and slidable in said slots, a plunger secured to said axle bearing member and slidably fitted in said dash pot, and two springs respectively located in said tubular portions and supporting the frame and supported by said axle bearing member.

9. A cycle frame having two parallel tubular portions provided on adjacent sides with longitudinal slots, a dash pot carried by the frame and having an adjustable vent, an axle bearing member extending into said tubular portions through and slidable in said slots, a plunger secured to the axle bearing member and slidably fitted in said dash pot, and two springs respectively located in said tubular portions and supporting the frame and supported by the axle bearing member.

10. A cycle frame having two parallel tubular port-ions provided each with a longitudinal slot, a dash pot carried b y the frame, an axle bearing member extending into said tubular portions through and reciprocative in said slots, friction rollers carried by the axle bearing member and interposed between said member and said tubular portions, a plunger secured to the axle bearing member and slidably fitted in the dash pot, and two springs respectively located in the said two tubular portions and supporting the frame and supported by said axle bearing member.

11. An axle bearing member, for a cycle or a bicycle, having a slot for receiving an axle and extending upwardly, from the lower edge of the axle bearing member, and then laterally.

12. A cycle or bicycle frame having two vertical parallel portions, a detachable member connecting the lower ends of said portions, and an axle bearing member located between said two portions and above the detachable member and having a slot extending upwardly from the lower edge of the axle bearing member and then laterally, for receiving therein an axle.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLAUDE R. MERSHON. l/VEBSTER E. REDNER.

Witnesses.

E. B. HOUSE, WARREN D. HOUSE.

Copies 0: this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

